Argentum’s Public Policy Fly-In convened senior living advocates from across the country last week, where meetings were held with the White House Office of Public Liaison, Federal Housing Administration Commissioner, and Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, along with a reception featuring more than a dozen lawmakers and nearly 100 meetings across Capitol Hill. The condensed two-day event provided more dedicated time to meet with lawmakers and their staff to advocate for policies that will increase access and affordability of senior living and address the industry’s workforce challenges.
Kicking off the event on the night of the State of the Union Address, more than a dozen lawmakers mingled with senior living advocates for our
annual Congressional Reception, generously sponsored by FOX Rehabilitation. This offered an intimate forum to meet with lawmakers and discuss how issues directly impact communities, residents, and caregivers. Lawmakers who attended include: Reps. Carol Miller, Chuck Fleischmann, Claudia Tenney, Dave Min, David Kustoff, Gary Palmer, Gus Bilirakis, Jim McGovern, Lucy McBath, Morgan Griffith, Rick Allen, Susie Lee, Virginia Foxx, and Zach Nunn.
On Wednesday, advocates went to Capitol Hill and held more than 100 meetings with lawmakers and their staff. Meetings included Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and member of the Appropriations Committee that is responsible for funding key senior living priorities. Senator Moran was also a leading champion of the Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act, which included the pilot program signed into law last year to help more veterans choose assisted living for their long-term care needs. Additional lawmaker-attended meetings included Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), who is the sponsor of the Care Across Generations Act (H.R. 1812) and Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA), who is the Chair of House Long-Term Care Caucus.
Advocates promoted five pieces of legislation on Capitol Hill: the Care Across Generations Act (H.R. 1812) to help communities co-locate a childcare center onsite; the Social Engagement and Network Initiatives for Older Relief (SENIOR) Act (S. 473) to develop studies on the impact of isolation on seniors; the Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act (S. 1565 & H.R. 138) to expand the use of tax-advantaged savings accounts for long-term care expenses; the Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (S. 492 & H.R. 1177) to help communities hire more workers; and the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act (H.R. 5494) to create new visas for foreign-born workers filling critical vacancies in essential industries like senior living.
Also on Wednesday, Argentum leaders met with Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. The roundtable discussion included promoting the need to renew the White House Conference on Aging, leveraging existing federal and state workforce development and training programs, and ongoing work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand the assisted living pilot program.
In addition to the meetings on Capitol Hill, on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue, Argentum leadership met the White House Office of Public Liaison. The meeting focused on the need to invest in a renewed White House Conference on Aging. We were able to present a compelling argument for supporting senior living policy priorities, focused on assisted living’s cost-effectiveness and high satisfaction from residents, the need for immediate action due to demographic changes and workforce shortages, and the importance of investment to meet the projected housing demands for seniors.
On Thursday, Argentum convened a roundtable with Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner Frank Cassidy and his team at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on solutions to expand access to federal financing programs for senior living. This was a continuation of a series of meetings that Argentum has held with FHA Commissioner Cassidy, who has led efforts at HUD to streamline the lending process, including through the creation of “Express Lanes.” The meeting focused on streamlining processing and reduce closing delays, expanding financing eligibility, improving program competitiveness, and increasing efficiency in loan underwriting and approvals.
Thank you to everyone who joined us this past week in Washington, D.C. The success of the Public Policy Fly-In is vital to our overall advocacy efforts. While Argentum staff meet with lawmakers and their staff on an ongoing basis throughout the year, the face-to-face meetings from constituents have an outsized impact where senior living professionals are able to directly tell their stories of how our communities support seniors and solutions lawmakers can enact to meet the challenges we face as an industry. We look forward to continuing the momentum in the coming weeks as we invite lawmakers to tour communities throughout the country.